God - My Completion

My Post, God My Completion, was expanded and moved to www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com.

November - Native American Month

Don't forget that November is Native American Month. Two of my books will be interesting as we remember our history.
Hiawassee - Child of the Meadow:  A Cherokee woman walks from North Carolina with her settler husband into the new state of Indiana in the 1800's. She is rejected by his family, his community and his church. Though shunned, Hiawassee lives her life by the ideals of Christian love and forgiveness, and Cherokee balance.
Smoke from Distant Fires: A fourteen year old girl finds out that Tecumseh's brother, the Prophet, is buried in her great-great grandparents' apple orchard. She is afraid she will be teased. Her friend is missing. A stranger lurks in the background. She knows that some families still mourn loses from the Indian Wars. The Shawnee, Old Grandfather tells her, "Smoke from distant fires can still sting the eyes." That is, if you let it.
Doris
Doris Gaines Rapp
Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp
Both books available on Amazon, Cokesbury, Barnes&Noble and others

Ten Rules of Writing

A list called “Ten Rules of Writing” was posted on Facebook recently. Like any writer, I thought, “My ten rules would be different.” Perhaps your list would be different still. The exercise in writing mine was fun. It gave me a chance to think about what is important to me in writing. Tomorrow, or next year, I might change my rules in part or in whole. 

1. A critique is not a character assessment. It is a suggestion for making your piece better. And, if it really is a deliberate “slam,” then, the critique is not about you. It’s about them – the critic. They are trying to balance the chink in their own armor by poking a lance through yours.
2. There are no mistakes in writing. Like in scientific research, there are only opportunities to rule-out ways that didn’t work, so you can write words that do.
3. Writing is a deliberate act. You don’t accidently write a novel. It takes time, persistence and effort.
4. Not all writers use the same writing process – one is not correct and the other wrong. Some don’t know where their story is going, or what will happen next, until they see it on the computer screen in front of them. Some make elaborate outlines and story boards.
   A young boy sat down with me at a book signing and let me know he was a writer too. He began telling me his story that described action over several days and locations. When I asked him how far he has gotten in the writing, he said, “A page and a half. Writing it is boring.” But then, he was about twelve.
5. Writing is beginning and then beginning again. When you finish typing the last word of your book, realize that it was a good start. Now, you can begin to write the book. The first version was the bones. Now, is the time to flesh-out the skeleton and draw out real characters in your novels, and memorable points in non-fiction books.
6. It takes longer than you think. Always remember, a thirty minute “fix” of a manuscript will take at least five days. Last week, I decided to cut the size of Lincoln’s Christmas Mouse in half so it would fit into an Operation Christmas Child shoe box. I had written it years ago! It shouldn’t have taken very long. Meanwhile, a week later, it was done again.
7. Protect your creative energy. Telling the plot of your story to other people before you put it on paper can destroy the urgency to write it. Tell the story to your computer. Then you can create a synopsis to share with others. In writing, that’s called your “elevator speech” – a description of the book that can be expressed to an agent or editor in the time it takes to meet them in the elevator on the first floor and finish it by the time they get off on the seventh.
8. You are a writer if you write. A vary famous author said, “You aren’t really published unless you’ve signed with a large publishing house.” That is no longer true. There are fewer and fewer book publishers. Even the “famous” guy is now advertising assistance to help indie authors self-publish.
   I told my professor of Beginning Drawing at New Mexico State University, I would love to be an artist. His response, “You’re drawing. You are an artist. You may be a good one or bad one, but you are an artist.” If you write, you’re an author – period.
9. Promote your own work. If you hire a marketing expert, they’ll ask you what you are doing to promote your work. If you have signed with a publisher, they will ask, “How are you going to promote your work?” Some, especially women, have been taught NOT to tell others about their work – that’s bragging. It is not! It is marketing!
   I talked to Richard Paul Evans last summer about the ease of writing and the difficulty of marketing. He said, “Remember, marketing is part of writing.” You have to do both if you want people to read your books.
10. Enjoy the whole process: writing, self-editing, cover creation, marketing and book signings. I’m not saying you will be great at all aspects of writing. Hopefully, you are a brilliant writer. The other elements that go into writing fall under one of my self-created motto: “What you do not naturally do, you must deliberately do.” You can learn to self-edit by reading Browne and King’s book. Develop the language of rudimentary layout so you can communicate with your cover designer. Read some good books on book marketing, Jusino’s book comes to mind. Schedule your own book signing. Remember, a signing is not about selling a lot of books. It’s about meeting people and getting your name out there. You can’t have a bad book signing. Create some business-card size promotionals with your book title, ISBN, your name and contact information on them. Pass them out to everyone who attends, those who buy your books and those who have listened to you. It’s all positive—if you believe it is. Believe in yourself if you want others to.

Those were my ten. What are yours?

Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

Author/Psychologist

Christmas Feathers a short story in a compilation titled Christmases Past

Many other novels and non-fiction books available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Cokesbury and others

 

References: 

Browne, Renni and King, Dave (1993/2004). Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. HarperCollins, New York 

Jusino, Beth. (2014). The Author's Guide to Marketing: Make a Plan That Attracts More Readers and Sells More Books (You May Even Enjoy It). Sharper Words Press. Seattle, WA

Alzheimer’s/Caregivers Month: “Al” is Talking

“When I came in to visit Richard, he said, ‘What are you doing here?’” Sarah told me. “I was so hurt I just sat there for two hours while he rolled over and didn’t say anything else.”

“That wasn’t Richard, Sarah. That was Al talking,” I reassured her. “Richard is leaving you and Alzheimer’s, aka ‘Al,’ is replacing him.” As her sister-in-law and a psychologist, my heart broke for her. She was suffering the loss of her husband day after day.

If Al, or Alice, is crowding out the person you love, you, as the caregiver, can be hurt when the impostor is rude or misunderstood. In Richard’s case, his dry sense of humor and kidding nature no longer came with a smile and a slap on the back. His expressions were flat, his joking was no longer funny and his eyes had lost their sparkle. But, he was still trying to be Richard. He just couldn’t play the “hero part” any longer. He had been reduced to a character-roll in the movie of his own life.

For the caregiver, the important thing to remember is, your loved one is not intending to hurt or embarrass you. They don’t know their lines anymore and the script changes every day. The actor’s name has even been re-written, from Richard to Al and you don’t’ know Al. Just remember—your parent or spouse doesn’t know Al either.

You have become the memory, the detail-holder for the family. Keep a day-planner and/or journal to help you remember your treasured past, your daily appointment and activities, as well as your loved one’s memories. This will help you, as caregiver, relax and take the anxiety out of holding it all in short-term memory.

 As Richard slowly faded away, Sarah would take out an album or stack of pictures from her purse. She would say, “You remember Jason and Shelly. This is their picture from ten years ago and this is the new one we took last week.” Richard would smile at the old picture of family or friends and then study the new one. He seemed to be trying to make new memories. Sarah’s reminders happened several times a day, so Richard was able to be part of a family reunion or gathering and not just in the group.

If “Al” doesn’t recognize or respond to new information or the efforts you are putting into their care, you need not interpret that as a personal failing of your own. It’s not about you or your shortcomings as a caregiver. It is about Al or Alice. Like the movie, “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” Alzheimer’s has come in and is slowly pushing your loved one out of their own body. As you would with a precious baby, talk to your loved one like you always have, but don’t be hurt is they don’t respond in the way they have in the past. Remember, you are talking to the remnant of the person you knew. They are still inside and love your touch, the melodic sound of your voice, and the interesting people you talk to them about.

God teaches his people with repeated lessons. "For He says, 'Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.” Isaiah 28:10.  Our loved ones are not learning new precepts like in Isaiah. They are being reminded of their life so they can hold on a little longer. Be patient. This is the blessing of your life for such a time as this.

When “Al” talks to you, respond to Richard and to Al, so that Al isn’t more confused than they were. The old memories belong to Richard; the new confusion is Al’s. Let Al know that you are not disappointed in him. He is loved too. When Al speaks, listen, but don’t expect him to sound like Richard. Richard has taken a divergent path and is on the long-way-home.

Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp

Author/Psychologist

Contributor- Christmases Past

Many other books and novels by this author are available on Amazon and other sites.

November - Native American Month

Old Grandfather said, “Smoke from distant fires can still sting the eyes.” (Smoke from Distant Fires – Doris Gaines Rapp 2014) Many of us would agree. Hurts from the past can brow in and choke us, making us feel badly even years after the incident.

For those of us blessed with a good memory, things that stung our heart and left us wounded in the past can come around again and pierce our armor of self-assuredness even years later. What can we do about it?

1.      Seek forgiveness from the one you offended and then go to God. It is the other person responsibility to forgive you. If they refuse, do not let that rob you of your peace of mind. You do not need their forgiveness to be forgiven.  It is your responsibility to seek forgiveness. It is the other person’s responsibility to be “forgiving.” “Forgiveness,” however, belongs to God.

2.      No longer own the embarrassment. Perhaps you were not at fault in the first place. If you weren’t, then you can shake free from the negative emotion that still tries to entangle you and hold you captive.

3.      If you have sought forgiveness, then believe that you are forgiven. Don’t pick up that bolder and try to carry it again. That burden is no longer yours.

4.      The hardest person to forgive is you. Do not re-inflict pain on yourself every time you think of the original offense. Let it go. You are free. God said you are.

Old Grandfather was right. Old hurts can continue to stab at the heart. Only you can stop the pain by not claiming ownership of them. Millie and Silvia, in Smoke from Distant Fires, learn that things that happened in the past by kinsmen do not belong to them. Native American month is a good time to learn to leave the hurts of the past where they belong and embrace the beauty, traditions and lessons of love that remain.

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp

Smoke from Distant Fires

Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Caregivers Month Blog Tour

President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in 1983. At the time, fewer than 2 million Americans had Alzheimer’s; today, the number of people with the disease has soared to nearly 5.4 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014).  The Author Community of Helping Hands Press is getting involved this month, and hopes to help raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.
Staring Nov. 3^rd, with Anne Baxter Campbell’s blog post, mine is Tuesday the 4th and Sue Badeau’s appearance on blogtalk radio, and finishing on Nov. 25^th with Mark Venturini’s blog post, many of the authors in the Helping Hands Press Community will be sharing their personal stories.
Who are the authors, their blogs and what days?
Here is the list:
Nov.3^rd-Anne Baxter Campbell- http://pewperspective.blogspot.com/
Nov.4^th –Doris Gaines Rapp- http://dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/
Nov.5^th-Marcia Lee Laycock- http://marcialeelaycock.com/thespur/
Nov. 7^th –Sheila Seiler Lagrand- http://sheilalagrand.com/
Nov. 8^th –Giovanni Gelati- http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/
Nov. 10^th –Ruth L. Snyder- http://ruthlsnyder.com/
Nov. 10^th –Cindy Noonan- http://www.cindynoonan.com/
Nov. 11^th-Sue Badeau- http://suebadeau.webs.com/apps/blog/
Nov. 12^th-Peggy Blann Phifer- http://www.whispersinpurple.com/
Nov. 13^th-Sandy Sieber- http://pahistorybooks.blogspot.com/
Nov. 13^th- Joy Ross Davis- http://joyrossdavis.com/blog/
Nov.14^th –Karen Gass- http://www.cottonspice.net/
Nov. 17^th –Patti J. Smith- http://gridirongrannyfootballfanatic.blogspot.com/
Nov. 18^th-Tracy Krauss- http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com/
Nov.19^th –Melanie M. Jeschke- http://melaniejeschke.blogspot.com/
Nov.21^st- Andrea J. Graham- http://www.christsglory.com/
Nov.22^nd-Linda Wood Rondeau- http://lindarondeau.blogspot.com/
Nov.24^th-Diane Huff Pitts- http://dianehuffpitts.com/
Nov.25^th –Mark Venturini- http://markventurinijourney.blogspot.com/    

Beggars’ Night

“It’s Beggar’s Night!” Mama said. “Hurry and get your costume on.”

In that magical time of long ago when I was a child, the evening before Halloween was Beggar’s Night. Vandals roamed the streets during the darkened hours of Halloween. Eggs were thrown, trees were tee-peed and in the country, outhouses were overturned. There have been times of mischief when the little “necessity house” at the end of the path was occupied. Beggar’s Night was for young children who only wanted fun and candy for their sacks.

Make the time spent at your door special this Halloween (or next). As an author, I started thinking about surprise treats for the tricksters. Plan ahead and have on hand, a small book you’ve written and signed to stuff in their sack. Or, prepare a sheet of stickers with your book cover on it for children young enough to just like to stick sticky things to paper? If your publisher supplies “book stubs,” reserve some for the little “spooks” dearest and nearest to you, and drop one in their bag, piggybacked by a rubber band to a candy bar. Create special buttons displaying your latest book cover. Order extra pins to pass out at your next book signing.

Don’t be a beggar as you try to get attention for your newest book. Have fun passing the cover art out in a form the children will enjoy receiving. Get creative! Wait . . . you already are!

Doris
Doris Gaines Rapp

Prayer Therapy of Jesus

Waiting for Jesus in a Can’t Wait World
Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow
Smoke from Distant Fires
Escape from the Belfry
Length of Days – The Age of Silence
Lincoln’s Christmas Mouse – Reformatted to smaller size – out soon